Morning journal and courier., 1887-06-02
AT ELEVEN O'CLOCK.
Under the New Law-The Police No
 tify All Saloon Propr1etors Last Eve ning-AH Quiet at Eleven o'clock

Under the New Law-The Police No
 tify All Saloon Propr1etors Last Eve
 ning-Au Quiet at Eleven o'clock
 The Talk About 1t.
 The law recently passed by the legislature, providing that the saloons must be clossd at il o'clock at night instead of 12 o'clock as formerly, went into effect last night. Ac- cording to the law, however, the common council and all municipal bodies may at their discretion allow the saloons to keep open until midnight as usual The saloon keepers all over the city visited each other generally yesterday and the unanimous opinion was that they would all keep open until notified to close. The saloon keepers seemed to think that inasmuch as they had made contract with the State, for which they had given $2oo apiece, they had a right to keep open until 12 o'clock according to the law under which their licenses had been granted. City Attorney Daley yesterday expressed his opinion regarding the new law as follows: ''The common council in the cities have a right to make an ordinance allowing the sa- looms to keep open until 12 o'clock as for merly. A number of saloon keepers have called on me to enquire whether a special meeting of the common council could not be
 
 way-to close at midnight
 s'There has been no New Haven law regulat- ing the matter. No town or city is exempt from the law, except that cities are given a legal right to add one hour so as to make the closing at 12 o'clock. The law is 8 State regulation and like any other law of the State will be certainly enforced. The police will make reports of infractions of the law and cause the arrest of those so complained of and put them before the court for trial l shall await complaints or reports before taking action. It depends upon the police, whose duty it is to make reports of the vio- lation of the law"
 Early in the evening all the night police received instructions from headquarters to make the rounds of the saloons on their re spective beats and notify the proprietors that the new law would be enforced to the letter and that the shutters would have to be put up at Il o'clock sharp or the law would take it's course The usual five min utes' grace would be allowed to close up and retire from the premises. The saloon keepers received this information in good grace and the officers were generally well re- ceived. A tour of the city after II o'clock by the officers showed that the new regu- lation had been auspiciously inaugurated, and Gall quiet" and no arrests was the word brought in by one officer after another.
 There was much talk about town last eve- ming about the new law. It was the general opinion that the city government would probably soon meet and make the law inop- erat1ve as regards this city, which it has the power to do, as above stated. Many of the saloon keepers expressed it as their conVic- tion that the law would not prove a consti tutional one, the saloon keepers having paid their license fees under the old law, and this being in effect a contract good for year and binding for year. The police found all the saloon keepers perfectly willing to sJo 4lo1 vinced that eleven o'clock closing would be matter of short duration. The police in discussing it said they rather favored the eleven o'clock racket as it would enable men who visit saloons to get home to the bosom of their families at an earlier hour than un- der the 12 o'clock closing and escape caudle lecture. But when the theaters are all in full blast men wanting a nightcap would have to go home dry unless the shows closed early enough to admit of a visit before Il o'clock.
 The Law Not Enforced in Hartford.
 Last evenings Hartford Times says in reference to the matter in that city: "Under strict enforcement of this law every saloon in the State would be compelled to close it's doors at Il o'clock tonight and hereafter. But the saloon keepers of Hartford need ap prehend no trouble from the law at present, although the municipal authorities have not yet granted them permission to keep open until midnight. The law not taking effect until to-day, the city council cannot act up- on the matter until their next regular session on the second Monday of the month, unless a special meeting is called, and that is not regarded as necessary.
 The question of granting the requisite au- thority will be brought up by resolution at the regular meeting and will undoubtedly be acted upon favorably.
 Mayor Bulkeley said this afternoon: No action has been taken by the authorities nor has the matter been brought to their atten- tion, nor to that of the police commission CTS. Therefore the police department, which enforces the liquor laws, have received no instructions. The session laws were printed and issued only few days ago, and it is questionable whether either the authorities or the saloon keepers are yet acquainted with the terms of the new statute. Probably the city council will act on the matter at their next meeting, and it will be obviously unfair to enforce the law until the council have sig nifed their views to the Il o'clock clos ing.'"